Seven challenges
by wilsonstories
Summary: Will and Sonny are encouraged by their friends to compete against each other.


**Will's POV**

"That sounds like a context…"

T is the one saying those words and everyone immediately agrees. We are enjoying a night out at 'The Spot' with a large group of friends, and at the moment all eyes are on Sonny and me. He is sitting on the other side of the table and his twinkling eyes tell me he is all for it. I shake my head, but cannot hide a smile when he raises his eyebrows in his are-you-scared kind of way. Without looking away from him I say:

"Who gets to decide what the challenges are?"

"I'll be the impartial referee…"

T playfully pushes Sonny's shoulder and then points at everyone else at the table:

"And all of us together will make a list of challenges… the one who wins most challenges is the winner…"

I am still not convinced and I ask:

"So what does the winner get?"

Before anyone can say anything Sonny leans forward:

"In public you get honour and respect… in private… well… let's keep that private…"

While everyone makes oehoeing noises I blush while staring into two pools of deep, intense brown. I grab my beer and raise it towards my smiling boyfriend, who immediately toasts against my raised glass.

"Let's do this…"

"You're on…"

By the time we leave the bar our friends have already been brainstorming about the list of challenges and I cannot deny some of the options make me slightly nervous. But the moment we are walking home together and Sonny's arm curves tightly around my waist I smile confidently:

"I'm going to win, you know…"

"Keep the faith, Horton… you will need it."

"We do need to settle the prize for the winner though…"

"I thought I already told you…"

"What… the private thing? You didn't say what it was we would be doing…"

He shrugs and leans over to me to kiss my cheek:

"Let's just say that the winner for one night will get all he wants… and can take..."

Luckily the dark of the night covers the bright red on my cheeks and I am not sure what to say. Next to me Sonny is laughing and then he whispers:

"I know you're blushing…"

I should know by now he knows me inside out, and with a happy sigh I answer:

"OK then… I assume you know how I like it…?"

While I open the door of our apartment building I hear him mumble behind me:

"Overconfidence doesn't help, babe…"

(…)

A week later our friends hand us a list of challenges and while we open it I ask T:

"Any rules to this whole thing, impartial referee?"

T immediately grabs the list from Sonny's hands and says:

"As a matter of fact there are… there are nine challenges on this paper. You both have one opportunity to cancel a challenge without being listed as losing the challenge. This means that eventually you will most likely do seven challenges in total. All challenges have to be done in the coming fourteen days and I, or deputy referee Ben, and at least three other friends present at this table have to witness each challenge. That's it… you go ahead…"

While handing the list back to Sonny, T sits back and I slowly read the challenges out loud:

"Who is the best singer, best tennis player, best cook, fastest runner, best baker, fastest swimmer, best flirt, best kisser, and the fastest driver?"

"What do you mean… best kisser?"

"Or best flirt?"

Everyone is smiling and before they can elaborate on how they would want to test that I hear Sonny say:

"Those are out… I'm not kissing anyone or flirt with anyone but Will… so…"

While everyone is making fun of 'saint Sonny', I just lean over and whisper in his ear:

"This is why I love you…"

He smiles and quickly leans in for a kiss on my lips. Then I look at T and say:

"So are there any specific rules for each challenge or…"

"Well, let's just make some plans about who will attend and where it will be…"

I never knew T could be so organised, but I guess the subject of this task is something he enjoys. An hour later we all have the schedule in our inbox and everyone is heading home. Again, Sonny and I walk home together, and with the list in his hand we try to make out who will win which challenge. Sonny is confident:

"We both know I will win the baking and cooking… oh and driving of course as you drive like my grandmother… we might as well skip it all and just name me the winner…"

Before he can say anything else I suddenly push him against a stone wall. My hands are on either side of his head and he smiles happily while being captured.

"Sonny, you know I love you… but I will beat you on every challenge…"

His arms curve around me and I grunt softly when he pulls my hips against his. I kiss him and he responds enthusiastically. The moment we come up for air I just lean my forehead against his:

"Perhaps we are both too competitive…"

"I think that's OK… as long as you don't forget that I love you."

I smile and lean in for another deep, slow kiss and mumble:

"I love you more…"

_Running_

While I grab my running shoes from the back seat I see Sonny's car a few spots away. I am sure everyone is already waiting for me and when I walk onto the track my boyfriend, T, Brent, Brian, and Chad are all ready to roll. I wave around me and say:

"I need a few laps to warm up, guys…"

T nods and I can't help laughing at the way he takes being a referee very seriously. In a steady pace both Sonny and I run a few laps. Sonny keeps running behind me and eventually I turn around to him and ask:

"Am I already going too fast for you?"

When he is running next to me I suddenly feel his strong fingers squeezing my butt and abruptly I stop in my tracks. While he runs away from me he laughs:

"Having a cute butt doesn't make you faster, babe…"

I enjoy the sight of my boyfriends behind for a little while, and then I walk towards the start. T doesn't mess about and soon I am kneeling in the red gravel, getting ready to jump away the moment he shouts 'go'. We have to do a 200 meter run, and I know this might give Sonny a slight advantage. I am a fast starter, and on a 100 meter run I am sure I would be able to beat him. Then we are on our way. As I expected I am ahead when we have just a few metres behind us. But I hear him right behind me and with every step I try to ignore the pain in my legs and in my lungs and when I cross the finish line just before Sonny, I am too exhausted to even celebrate. I fall on the grass and immediately feel Sonny's body fall down beside me. His hand lies on my thigh while he says between heavy breaths:

"I'll beat you…. Next time…"

He squeezes my leg and I can only laugh breathlessly. After our friends have helped us up, I receive an empty take away cup from the club. When I raise my eyebrows, T explains:

"Sorry, we are nice friends… but also broke friends… and this trophy might not be a beauty, but it is free…"

They all laugh when Sonny murmers:

"Those are not free buddy… I've paid for them…"

T ignores him and turns the cup upside down and shows me how he has written 'running' on the bottom of the cup.

"The one with the most cups at the end will win…"

"Well in that case we can finish this whole contest here as I have won already, because those cups are mine and you have taken them without my permission…"

I can't help but laugh out loud while I quickly walk over to my moping boyfriend. While I wrap my arms around his neck I whisper:

"Thanks for donating this amazing trophy… I think I will put it above my bed so my boyfriend and I can celebrate my victory…"

He tries to look angry and mutters:

"I don't want that thing anywhere I can see it…"

While I pull him close I rub his back:

"Aren't you proud of me?"

His arms slot around me and he mumbles:

"Give me a few minutes to be annoyed that I lost and then I will try to be a supportive and proud boyfriend…"

I feel our heartbeats slowing down and when I pull back he grabs the cup out of my hands. He turns to Brent:

"Have a pen?"

"Sure…"

Before I know it he is scribbling on my just earned trophy. When I get it back I read out loud:

"Donated by Sonny Kiriakis…"

_Swimming_

With my feet dangling in the water I look at my boyfriend walking over to us. We just warmed up with a few lanes of swimming and I already know I am going to lose. When he turns around to put his towel back on one of the seats, I see the movement of his muscles on his strong, broad shoulders.

"OK... let's go guys…"

As T is working, Ben is taking his depute referee position just as seriously, and Neil, John, and Chad are the three witnesses of today's challenge. While I climb onto the starters block I look to my side where Sonny is grinning at me:

"See you in 200 metres…"

The moment my fingers touch the water I do everything I possibly can to overtake the moving body in the lane beside to me. But with every second he seems to move further away from me. When I finally hit the wall I am about half a metre behind him and of course he is going to rub it in. He hangs over the lines that keep our lanes apart:

"That's how it is done, Horton…"

"Oh shut up…"

While I rub water out of my eyes he reaches over to grab my wrists. He pulls me towards him and with his lips against mine he says:

"I probably should be all smug, but you are cute when you are all wet…"

I kiss him back softly and remind him:

"There are people looking at us…"

With a sigh he pulls back and then we make our way out of the water. Before he can reach his towel I have grabbed it and with a smile I wrap it around him:

"I hate losing… but on the positive side… I enjoy looking at you all wet and half naked…"

He laughs and his hand goes through his soaking wet hair, and then Ben presents him with a cup-trophy:

"Hope you won't fire me for taking one of your cups, boss?"

"Of course not."

I roll my eyes and shake my head:

"As long as you're winning I am sure it all fine and good…"

Sonny turns around and after a quick peck on my lips he agrees:

"You know me so well…"

"Well, whatever happens, since I had to hide my cup… you are hiding yours…"

"Weren't you the one telling me over and over again a boyfriend has to be supportive at all times?"

"Well maybe you should have given a better example of how to do that…"

His eyes twinkle and if we weren't surrounded by people I would have pushed him under one of the showers and have my way with him right here and now, and the way he looks at me tells me he is thinking exactly the same thing. I lift my shoulders and whisper so only he can hear me:

"Tonight you are mine, Kiriakis…"

_Cooking_

Aunt Maggie has been so kind to lend us her mansion kitchen, so Sonny and I can prepare our dinners at the same time. Most of our friends are already getting comfortable for their tasting session and I look across the kitchen table where Sonny is working on some fancy dishes. It is just the two of us in the kitchen and we have half an hour to finish our cooking. When our eyes meet he smiles:

"I am sure you are wishing you would have cooked a bit more often…"

"I guess some people have to practice, others are just natural talents…"

"Too bad you are not one of them."

I turn around and try to look offended. But when I look at the sad looking spaghetti sauce I made I sigh deeply. I suddenly feel his body behind me and his chin rests on my shoulder:

"Spaghetti… creative… original…"

"You like my spaghetti… at least that is what you always tell me."

"I do… but perhaps not for the reasons you think…"

His arms wrap me up and I lean back against his chest:

"Why then?"

"Because you look cute when you are eating it and your mouth is all red from the sauce… And because you are always so proud when you cook for me…"

I turn around in his arms and frown:

"Seriously? So deep down inside you think it is disgusting but you just put up with it because of a few shitty reasons…"

He tries to kiss me but I pull away.

"I think they are very good reasons…"

"Well… For the next fifteen minutes we are not speaking… and then I will win this cooking thing to shut you up forever…"

He is laughing now and his lips find some skin on my neck. While he licks me softly he mumbles:

"Don't worry… I know plenty of things we can do without talking…"

The goosebumps on my skin tell a different story then the words I speak:

"Don't do that…"

He smiles and instead of letting go he determinately sucks on my skin, leaving a red spot behind when eventually letting go. By that time I am liquid in his arms, letting my hands play hide and seek in his hair and my body lean into his embrace. Suddenly we are startled by a voice:

"Seriously… you two are supposed to be rivals here…"

With a sigh Sonny lets me go and then he returns to his part of the kitchen. Ben and T sit down at the table, saying:

"We will keep an eye on you teenagers…"

Half an hour later I have lost this challenge and Sonny receives his second cup. In an attempt to revenge his win I say adamantly:

"I will never make spaghetti for you ever again…"

He smiles and whispers:

"You know… what we started in the kitchen today and then was rudely interrupted by T… that was due to your spaghetti sauce…"

His wink is cute and sexy and the same time and I smile in surrender:

"OK then… you win…"

_Tennis_

I don't think it ever came up during our conversations, so he doesn't know I have played tennis for quite a few years when I was in high school. And from this side of the tennis court I am pretty sure he has hardly ever held a racket. I am not surprised as he always tells me about how he went climbing or cycling, and tennis has never been mentioned in his adventure filled stories. I can't help but chuckle when he aims for a ball but missed it despite the full swing. When he realises I saw it he shouts:

"I always need a few swings to get into it… you better prepare yourself…"

I nod and turn my attention back to Neil, who is at the other side of my net to help me warm up for this challenge. Soon we are playing a few long rallies and when I win three out of four I see Sonny staring our way. Slowly he walks over to me and when he is near me he squints his eyes:

"You never told me about this…"

I shrug and mumble:

"Never came up, I guess…"

"I guess it didn't…"

I look at him and try to look apologetic:

"I'm sorry…"

He shakes his head and smiles widely. His eyes twinkle when he leans into me:

"Please don't make me look like an idiot out there… we both know you are going to win this… just don't humiliate me…"

I curl my arm around his waist while we head towards our friends to start the challenge and say softly:

"I could never humiliate you…"

As soon as our match has started I try to keep my word. But I find that it is really hard do so as Sonny is just terrible at this game. Half the time he misses the ball, and when he does hit it, it goes wide or in the net. I bite my lip to not laugh when Brian and Neil are making joke after joke from the side line. Both of them are good players and they obviously enjoy finding out that their friends, who seems good at everything, is the worst tennis player ever. Before we know it I have won and slowly I walk to the net. He takes my outstretched hand and tries to hide his own smile:

"I suck at this, don't I…?"

"Sorry babe…"

He pulls me in for a tight hug and whispers in my ear:

"Please don't break up with me…"

I kiss his cheek:

"After your performance just now I did consider it for a moment…"

"Shut up Will…"

I blow him a kiss and then I squeeze his hand before I let it go to receive the cup-trophy. I grab a pen from one of the tables and hold it out to Sonny:

"Let's not forget you donated this thing…"

He takes it and scribbles his name down and then hands it back to me:

"I am shocked that this stupid cup seems more important to you than your boyfriend's feelings…"

"Sorry honey… what are your feelings right now…"

"This game is stupid…"

"The depth of your feelings touch me deeply…"

While our friends immediately go back to making fun of Sonny's attempts of playing tennis I pull him towards me:

"You like my disgusting spaghetti sauce for stupid reasons… I like you swinging a tennis racket at a tennis ball and then missing it by a mile…. I think it is cute…"

He pouts:

"I don't want to be cute… I want to be touch and butch…"

I kiss him quickly:

"Sorry babe… you're cute… get over it."

When I turn around to follow our friends to the cafeteria I suddenly feel two hands squeezing my butt. His breath warms my ear when he whispers:

"There's only one thing I liked about today…"

"What's that?"

"Tennis shorts…"

_Baking_

"I don't understand why we have to bake when we already cooked."

I close the oven door and turn towards my boyfriend, who is already cleaning the kitchen.

"Baking is very different from cooking…"

"Rubbish… it is about food and warming it up…"

While he wrings out his cloth he shakes his head at me:

"What would you do if I could not cook or bake either…?"

"I'd be fine… I would get it from the store…"

"Brownies from the store do not taste the same as mine."

I shrug:

"I'll get used to them…"

He drops his cloth and walks over to me:

"Are you saying you could cheat on my brownies?"

"I'm saying that if your brownies would leave me I would have to get used to new brownies…"

He is only inches away from me when he asks:

"But they would never make you feel the same as mine, would they?"

I am pretty sure we are no longer talking about brownies. I lay my hands on his hips and sigh happily:

"They will always be terrible substitutes for the real deal…"

His bright smile is beautiful and I kiss him softly on his lips. When I pull back he asks:

"As much as I want to win this whole contest thing… I also enjoy the process of it…"

I nod:

"Me too."

I point at the oven:

"Did you make an extra one for me?"

When he winks, I smile and then I apologise:

"I didn't make an extra one for you though…"

He shrugs:

"That is quite alright…"

I push him away:

"No faith in my baking, huh?"

"Well, I don't know if you remember the cookies you baked for my birthday a few months ago… they were burned, salty instead of sweet, and most them had the shape of a… uhm… I don't even know what they were shaped like…"

"Actually, thinking back… I think they looked like clouds… you know… unique…"

"Right, babe…"

"And if I would have put salt in it instead of sugar it would have been delicious…"

"Of course."

"You don't believe me?"

He laughs and then reaches up to cup my face. His thumbs softly stroke my cheeks and he mumbles:

"You've got flour everywhere…"

The softness in his perfect brown eyes is all for me and I let him stroke the flour from my skin. His eyes land on the corner of my lips and he leans in and softly licks the flour away. Then he looks up and says:

"Perhaps your cooking skills equal my tennis skills…"

I sigh disappointed:

"You know… I was all warm and happy just now and was hoping for a romantic kiss... and you ruin it all by saying that…"

He leans in and captures my lips in a searing kiss:

"Better?"

I smile a wide smile and stare at his pink lips:

"Much better…"

"Honestly guys… you two need to learn to behave yourself in a kitchen…"

T has no mercy and pushes us apart:

"What happened to the rivalry…?"

"There is no rivalry… he can't bake…"

T and Sonny both laugh at Sonny's remark and I know they are right. When our bakes are ready for tasting, my cookies soon end up in the bin. I don't even care as I am quite happy with my special made extra-large brownie. Sonny gets his third cup and whe he softly kisses my cheek he says:

"3 to 2, babe… Can't wait for my prize…"

I just shrug and smile at him with my mouth full of his home made brownie:

"We will see…"

_Singing_

The club is full with fellow Salemites and in the corner a black microphone is waiting to be used. Sonny is nervous as he is unable to sit still and his fingers keep tapping the table. I reach out and grab his hand:

"Don't worry… it is just for fun…"

"I hate this Will… I cannot sing in front of people…"

"Of course you can, just pretend we are both in the bathroom, you are taking a shower and I am shaving, and you just burst out in song as you do sometimes…"

"That is different."

I smile and squeeze his hand:

"You want to go first…?"

"I don't want to go at all."

It is T's voice that sounds through the club:

"Hello everyone… we hope you are willing to help us out. Two of my best friends are doing a contest with a few challenges, and tonight we have to decide which one of them is the best singer. Are you all up for that?"

They obviously are and T mercilessly calls for Sonny to start. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for him. The moment his eyes screen through the crowd I know he wants to hide under a table. Suddenly his eyes find mine and he says:

"I'm sorry you all have to put up with me singing, but here it goes…"

The whole song he is holding my eyes, never breaking his stare. And the moment it is finished and everyone is applauding his bravery, he almost runs of the stage straight into my arms. The ohs and ahs are filling the room and I smile happily while wrapping him up close against me:

"You did great…"

"I did the bathroom trick you suggested."

"Well it worked great."

I can feel his heart pounding and whisper softly:

"I am so proud of you…"

As always our friends remind us that we are in a contest and I am pushed towards the stage, while Sonny is handed a beer. I take a deep breath and then I say into the microphone:

"This song is for the man I love most of all…"

I have always loved country music and have chosen a true country song by Alan Jackson 'When somebody loves you'. Instead of singing along with a karaoke tape as Sonny did I plug in my guitar. The moment I start singing I find him in the crowd and with a smile I sing the words to him, telling him how his love makes me strong. When I am finished he walks up to me and when he wraps me in his arms I see a few tears in his eyes. His breath tickles my ear:

"That was perfect…"

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah…"

T shows up and hands me my third trophy and then Brian reminds us all:

"You're tied… I guess our visit to the racing track tomorrow will settle this context…"

I look at Sonny and at our friends who are giving out beers. When they hold out a drink for each of us I shake my head:

"Sorry guys…"

I pull Sonny behind me to the dance floor, while the music fills the room. He smiles and mumbles:

"Good idea…"

I kiss his forehead and start slow dancing to the music:

"I just guess that we should do this now as tomorrow you will be quite irritated… as I will win of course…"

He laughs:

"In your dreams…"

When our eyes meet I let out a deep and happy sigh:

"I like it when you sing in the shower…"

His eyes twinkle when he answers me:

"Just like I like it when you make spaghetti for me?"

"I guess…"

"If I promise I will sing for you in the shower, will you make spaghetti for me again?"

A smile curls around my lips and while I pull his face against my neck I mumble:

"Deal."

_Driving_

He thinks I drive like his granny, and he also thinks he drives like Michael Schumacher. Neil shows us his race car and then points at the race track:

"You think you are up for it?"

Neil is an experienced race car driver and has talked us through some basic stuff. But I have to say that the steel bars at the side of his window scare me a bit as though they want to warn me that I most likely will crash. Sonny will go first and suddenly I am worried. I pull him aside and say softly:

"Be careful…"

"Don't worry, honey… I can do this…"

About ten minutes later he is proven right as his lap time is good enough to even make Neil enthusiastic about it. While he takes of his helmed he looks at me proudly:

"See, I told you I could do this."

I nod, but feel the knot in my stomach tighten as he hands the helmet to me. I look out on the track and see that there are two other cars driving around. A couple of minutes later I accelerate and drive onto the track. It only takes a second and I feel another car driving into mine, and the last thing I see are the steel bars next to me.

(…)

When I wake up I am not sure where I am. A soft light helps me orientate and the clock tells me it is three o'clock. It must be night as it is dark outside. While I try to take in my surroundings I feel a heaviness on my arm and when I look down I see messy dark hair. Sonny is sleeping, and although his eyes are closed they are moving quickly underneath his eyelids from one side to the other. His long dark eyelashes are laying on his cheeks, which are red and show he has been crying. His hands are locked around my wrist as if he is trying to hold on to me. I feel a blood pressure cuff around my arm and a little thing is stuck on my finger. My chest hurts when I breathe and my hip feels like it has been beaten over and over again. I try to move my legs and the moment I do Sonny jumps up. When his eyes find mine he squeezes my wrist and his eyes swim in tears:

"Will…"

"Hi… baby… don't cry…"

He shakes his head and smiles through his tears:

"I have to get the nurse…"

After the nurse has checked me and is happy, she says:

"I hope you can get some more sleep…"

Then she turns to Sonny:

"You should go home and get some sleep as well…"

He shakes his head and takes his seat next to me:

"I'm fine here."

"OK then… but still…. Try to sleep some more…"

She closes the door behind her and I look at my boyfriend:

"I'm sorry I crashed…"

"Not your fault honey, the loser in the other car was on the wrong side of the track…"

I raise my hand and cup his face. He leans into my hand and lays his hand over mine:

"You're OK… that is all that matters…"

I smile and softly stroke his cheek with my thumb:

"I guess you won the contest."

He looks at me and frowns:

"You have two broken ribs, your hip is bluer then your eyes and you think about this stupid contest?"

I smile:

"It wasn't stupid… I loved every bit of it…"

"I did too, until you crashed and I was afraid I had lost you…"

The fear in his eyes is so real I just need to feel him close. I slowly wiggle myself to the side of the bed, trying not to show him that every move hurts.

"What are you doing Will?"

"Come here…"

"What?"

I nod to the empty space next to me and he frowns:

"I don't want to hurt you?"

I shake my head:

"I need you to hold me… please."

Very carefully he folds himself around me and soon we have found a perfect position. With his forehead against my temple and his lips against my cheek, he mumbles:

"This OK?"

"Perfect…"

"Now go to sleep…"

"Sonny?"

"Yeah?"

"I guess we have to wait a while until I can give you your prize…"

"Why?"

"Well you won… so you will get a night full with everything you want… or can take… and from what you have shared with me at times, I am pretty sure I need to be able to move a lot better than I can do now…"

He shakes his head slowly and then leans up so he can look at me:

"Are you kidding me?"

His kiss is soft and tender and I wish I could just wrap him up and curl myself around him. But instead I lean my head against his and enjoy the way he drapes one of his legs over mine, while he laces our fingers together. I slowly drift off to sleep, feeling safe in his arms. And his sweet words are all I need:

"Will Horton… After what happened today there is not much more I can take… and lying here next to you is all I could ever want…"


End file.
